Our Fishing Communities Need Better Support -Nduom

Our Fishing Communities Need Better Support (2)
Last week, members from fishing communities in Accra went on demonstration to draw the attention of the President John Evans Atta Mills and his Administration to the difficulties they face. Some of them got hurt in the process. All the same, the leaders of the various fishing industry associations have agreed and met with the President today. That is a sign of good faith on the part of the fishing community. It is imperative for President Mills to listen and ACT with a high sense of URGENCY to resolve the problems enumerated by the leaders during their meeting with him today.
I am from Elmina, a leading fishing community and so I know many of these problems first hand. Pair trawling is still rampant as is other forms of illegal fishing off the coast of our country Ghana.
For the benefit of the President, I am repeating today, the two press releases that I have put out these past two years on the topic.

Our Fishing Communities Need Better Support (1)
July 28, 2009
The Administration of President John Atta Mills should examine the needs of the fishing communities throughout the country and give them better support than they are experiencing at the moment. A careful review of the voting pattern of these communities particularly those in the Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions gives ample food for thought.
In the past few years, the fishing communities especially the ones in the Western, Volta, Greater Accra and Central Regions have experienced increasing poverty in all its forms. Consequently, many children in these communities do not go to school or drop out of school at early ages. It is for these reasons that some of us from coastal communities have had to carry an increased burden as advocates and investors to improve the life experiences of the affected communities.
Irregular supply of pre-mix fuel, activities of pair-trawlers, unsafe landing beaches and a general increase in the cost of fishing inputs have made many in the industry take on a heavy debt burden. Unfortunately, access to credit has reduced this year and when it is available, the cost of money has gone up. Therefore, the fishing community is facing severe financial difficulties. So the current pre-mix shortage that has lasted more than a week in many communities is worrying. It is making the poverty situation in the fishing communities worse. For some of these communities, the shortage has been experienced intermittently since the beginning of the year. What bothers some in the communities more and more is that they placed a lot of hope in the Mills Administration as it took up some of their concerns as priority matters during the 2008 elections. If care is not taken, the fishing communities will consider all politicians as non-caring as they believe that the previous administration did not help them as much as they had promised when they were in opposition.
It is with all of this in mind that I wish to offer my suggestions to the Mills Administration with regard to the pre-mix fuel that is an essential input for the fishing communities:

1. Pre-mix fuel is part of the items covered by the deregulation policies implemented by both the NDC and NPP Administrations. Therefore, the hand of government must necessarily be as removed from its distribution as happens with other subsidized products such as kerosene.
2. The formation of national, regional and local pre-mix communities are fraught with many challenges. Again as a deregulated sector, roles and responsibilities of political appointees if any at all must be made clear as opposed to that of the fishermen/women themselves. Pre-mix fuel though subsidized, is not provided free of charge. Like kerosene and others, the customers have to pay for it. Customers deserve good treatment and must not be treated as if they do not matter.
3. The important role of government should be that ensuring the security of pre-mix fuel and its availability and the safe delivery of the products to their intended destinations.
4. The duties of the National Pre-mix Committee should be viewed with great caution by President Mills. There are opportunities for corruption and political patronage of the type that affects greatly the poor fishing communities. The re-emergence of this Committee gives cause for concern and its activities must be monitored closely by the Presidency. Government must know that the fishing communities do not have much trust and faith in such committees.

Hands Off Pre-Mix Fuel!
October 28, 2009
The Ghanaian Times newspaper last week reported that a team of the Police and BNI intercepted a fuel tanker that was discharging premix fuel suspected to have been diverted to Viepe, near Aflao. Should this suspected diversion of pre-mix fuel turn out to be true, we should all commend the security agencies and encourage them to do more to support the fishing industry. This incident prompted me to do a follow up visits to a number of fishing communities to see how the industry is doing. The fishing community is still faced with many difficulties.
Recently, I advised the administration of President John Atta Mills to examine the needs of the fishing communities throughout the country carefully and give them better support than they were experiencing at that time.
At that time, I wrote that, “Irregular supply of pre-mix fuel, activities of pair-trawlers, unsafe landing beaches and a general increase in the cost of fishing inputs have made many in the industry take on a heavy debt burden. Unfortunately, access to credit has reduced this year and when it is available, the cost of money has gone up. Therefore, the fishing community is facing severe financial difficulties. So the current pre-mix shortage that has lasted more than a week in many communities is worrying. It is making the poverty situation in the fishing communities worse. For some of these communities, the shortage has been experienced intermittently since the beginning of the year. What bothers some in the communities more and more is that they placed a lot of hope in the Mills Administration as it took up some of their concerns as a priority matter during the 2008 elections. If care is not taken, the fishing communities will consider all politicians as non-caring as they believe that the previous administration did not help them as much as they had promised when they were in opposition.”
Some people in the country thought that I was just “doing” politics as usual. But then blue-coloured pre-mix fuel was introduced. This was even after some of the government agencies responsible for the production and distribution of the fuel had gone public to deny that there were any shortages of the product.
When the suspected diversion of pre-mix fuel in the Volta Region was reported, there was an attempt by some representatives of the administration to give the impression that it was an indication that all is well with pre-mix fuel supply and distribution. Well, not so fast. The situation is far from being ok. The problem has everything to do with government interference. As I pointed out recently,, “Pre-mix fuel is part of the items covered by the deregulation policies implemented by both the NDC and NPP Administrations. Therefore, the hand of government must necessarily be as removed from its distribution as happens with other subsidized products such as kerosene.”
At the same time, I warned that, “The formation of national, regional and local pre-mix communities are fraught with many challenges. Again as a deregulated sector, roles and responsibilities of political appointees if any at all must be made clear as opposed to that of the fishermen/women themselves. Pre-mix fuel though subsidized, is not provided free of charge. Like kerosene and others, the customers have to pay for it. Customers deserve good treatment and must not be treated as if they do not matter.”
Unfortunately, government officials appointed by the Mills Administration are interfering with the distribution of pre-mix fuel at the national, regional and local levels. Some of the diversion of the product is being done by members of pre-mix committees appointed by the Administration. The fishermen are the victims and not the problem. Government’s role should be that of ensuring the security of pre-mix fuel and its availability and the safe delivery of the products to their intended destinations.
There are opportunities for corruption and political patronage of the type that affects greatly the poor fishing communities in a negative way. President Mills promised to fight corruption, impunity and to listen to the “ordinary” people. He must see to it that his Administration removes its hands off the distribution of pre-mix fuel and other fishing inputs such as outboard motors and fishing nets. But his Administration must do more to build schools, provide health care facilities and construct safer landing sites in the fishing communities. It must also take urgent steps to protect our territorial waters and prevent foreign and locally owned big fishing trawlers from engaging in illegal fishing activities. Until then, the so-called “ordinary, little” people in the fishing communities in the Volta, Central, Western and Greater Accra regions will continue to suffer.

Papa Kwesi Nduom
June 21 2011